John thomas



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN THOMA S, OF BEOKENHAM, COUNTY OF KENT, ENGLAND.

FEEDING-BOTTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,288, dated April 3, 1883. Application filed May 10, 1882'. (No model.) Patented in England May 5, 1881, No. 1,952, and in France November 5, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN THOMAS, a subject otthe Queen of Great Britain, residing at Mackenzie Road, Beckenham, in the county of Kent, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction ot Feeding-Bottles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

As at present manufactured, feeding-bottles provided with india-rubber tubes are fitted with a stopper of wood, glass, or earthenware, which stopper is perforated centrally for the passage of the flexible tubes, and a packing of cork or its equivalent is provided for the purpose of preventing leakage. construction is objectionable by reason of the cost of manufacture and the difficulties experienced both in removing and replacing the flexible tube and in properly cleansing the central perforation in the stopper. The bottle is also liable to be rendered useless by the cork packing or its equivalent becoming impaired or destroyed, as frequently happens by use. To remedy these defects I support the flexible tube in position by slightly pressing it between the cork and the neck ofthe bottle, and to enable me to do this without preventing the proper flow of the liquid through the flexible tube I preferably construct the neck of the bottle with a groove or fluting within which to place the tube. By this construction of the neck of the bottle I am enabled to use a cork of the ordinary circular form, which may be easily renewed when required. On removing the corkthe tube may be slipped out of the protectinggroove within which it lies, which groove may be readily and thoroughly cleansed.

This mode of By means of this improved principle of construction I am enabled to dispense with the use of thin circular packings of cork or its equivalent and perforated stoppers as now constructed. The flexible tube or its equivalent may be held in place between a glass or other stopper and the neck of the bottle; but I preferably employ a cork of ordinary form for this purpose. It will be seen that there is no necessity for dragging the tube through a perforation when it is desired to remove it, but that it may he slipped with facility out of the groove formed to receive it.

In order that my said invention may be better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows an elevation of a feeding-bottle constructed according to my said invention. Fig. 2 shows section through line a a at Fig. 1.

A is the bottle; B, cork or stopper; 0, flexible tube; D, flute in neck of bottle to hold the. flexible tube. It is obvious that the same effect might be produced by having the flute in the cork or stopper instead of in the neck of the bottle; but I prefer having it in the neck, as in this case any ordinary cork or stopper would do.

that I claim as my invention is- In a feeding-bottle, the neck provided with a retaining groove in which the rubber may be sprung without threading it through the cork, and between which cork and the neck of the bottle it may rest, substantially as set forth.

JOHN THOMAS.

Witnesses:

R. G. RODHAM, Engineer,

F. W. E. PAGE, Clerk, Both of 5 Southampton Buildings, London, W. 0. 

